Artwork, music, displays all part of Aboriginal Day celebrations

Ashley Julian of Indian Brook dances on the Halifax waterfront during National Aboriginal Day events Saturday. (CHRISTIAN LAFORCE / Staff)

National Aboriginal Day in Halifax on Saturday was all about appreciating heritage and culture, and enjoying some weekend fun.

On the first day of summer, natives and non-natives were on the waterfront in the city’s downtown district to take part in, or observe, a range of activities. There were musicians, dancers, artisans, food vendors and other participants.

Visitors were folks of all ages; families were in good supply.

Aboriginal participants travelled to Halifax from various regions of Nova Scotia to celebrate the annual event and share First Nations experiences. On the waterfront, there were wigwams, interactive displays, artwork for sale and more.

Parking in the area was hard to come by.

An enthusiastic crowd watched aboriginal dancer Ashley Julian perform in her regalia. The young woman took questions from the audience after her show.

Julian explained the significance of a tattoo on one of her arms. The design features Christian and indigenous symbols, she said.

“I was raised both Catholic and traditional,” Julian told spectators. “I kind of value both of those worlds and those religions. So, on the front, I took rosary beads and put them on top of a dream catcher.”

Festivities in Halifax and Winnipeg were being broadcast by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

A free concert in a lot near the corner of Salter and Lower Water streets was to start at 8 p.m. Sound checks were being done Saturday afternoon. Fireworks were scheduled for 11:30 p.m.

At The Wave sculpture, happy children were perched on the piece, having reached the top after passing a sign that says this: For Your Protection Do Not Climb.

In a tented booth, native artist Darren Julian was selling his work. The Cape Breton resident said he has been producing art since about 2010.

Julian’s display table had illustrations he prepared with such materials as watercolours and acrylics. He said he’s primarily a self-taught artist who works as a store clerk.

“I was always doing it, all my life, from when I was a little kid,” Julian told The Chronicle Herald. “When I’m working at a store, I paint them and then somebody will come in and I’ll sell it to them.”

Asked how the market is these days for aboriginal art in Nova Scotia, Julian said he sells the majority of his creations to tourists from other provinces.

“This year, most of the prints I’ve been selling are to people coming from Toronto,” he said.

Aboriginal Day in Canada was initially observed in 1996, on June 21, the summer solstice.

“Many of the first inhabitants would celebrate the arrival of the warm weather on this day,” promotional material says. “It is a day with spiritual significance for many people.”

This year’s Aboriginal Day events in Halifax happened a few days after a deal was worked out covering the cleaning of polluted Boat Harbour.

The McNeil government and Pictou Landing First Nation reached an agreement in principle to address long-standing concerns. It gives the province until June 30, 2015, to introduce a bill legislating timelines for stopping effluent from the Northern Pulp mill going into Boat Harbour.